Dehydrating apparatus.



G. H. BENJAMIN.

DEHYDRATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUGJ, 1914.

Patented Mar. 27, 191?.

3 SHEETS-SHEET I. R"

G. H. BENJAMIN.

DEHYDRATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-l. I914.

Patented Mar. 27, 1917.

3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

G. H. BENJAMIN.

DEHYDRATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION HLED AUG.I. 1914.

1 11 U 1 7h 2 L m L d DU t n e t a DJ 3 SHEETSSHEET 3.

To all whom it may comers;

Be it lrnowu that l, GEORGE Hitters BENJAMIN, a citizen'of the United States. residing at New York, iii the county and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in l? "drah ing Apparatus, or" which the follows soecification.

My invention consists in an apparatus dehydrating fruits and vegetables and other materials, normally containing or to which v star has been added.

The object of my invention is air apparatus in which cheap and eiiicie'ot means is provided for primarily removing a certain portion. of the Water contained in the air used for dehydrating; apparatus for heat ing" air'to the required ratus for conveying the heated dehydrating air to and through the materials to be dehydrated and out of the dehydrating" apparatus.

My invention has in view the utilization of the huilding and a portion of the appw ratus as now commonly employed in the do hydrating of fruits and vegetables, and the utilization of further apparatus by reason of which the combined old and new ratus Will produce a cheaper and. more fective dehydration than has heretofore been possible. i

The accompanying drawings will serve to illustrate my invention, in Which l i ure 1 is vertical section through a huiidingg'coro tairi ng my improved dehydrating apparatus, also showing a portion of the apparatus in. vertical section. and a portioniuelevation, this section heiug talrcu on the line 1-1 of Fig. 3. Fig. 2 is aside elevation partial section on the line ll H Fig. the pc. tion at the right of the figure showing a modified construction. 3 is a horizontal section taken on the line lll-lllll of Fig. 1. Fig. 4;- is a plan and partial section taken on "the line, lV-lV of Fig". 1. Fi. 5 is a vertical section, the part at the rig t taken on the line V-V of Fig. 1. Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken from the right on the line Vli ll of Fig. 1. Fig. is a vertical section of one of series of ratus, taken on the line -i l'l-l lo the drawings, '5 r pres to such as is commonly employed hydration of fruits and general configuration of ltpplicatieu filed suggest 1., 193.2%.

temperature; apps- The purpose of the adjoining cells and d mper appa-' tPPrtRAFFUS.

lcrial Ho.

shown outline in Fig. The building is divided into two stories, 6 and 7., separated by a floor 8. Located in the first'istory 6 is a series of furnaces 9. Leading from these fiu'oacesare pipes 10 arranged as shown, and connected to a flue 11, which flue is in turn connected to a chimneystack 12. The

. chimney stack is preferably arranged with horizontal pipe 18 with the top of the dehydrator 19.

The dehydrator 19 as shown in Fig. 3, is rectangular in cross section, and is provided with a series of inclined plates 20 projecting from opposite sides and arranged to overlap. The bottom of the dehydrator 19- comiuunicates With it Well or Water receptacle r21 orovided with an overflow Situated infrout of the Well or Water receptacle, is a pump having its induction orifice 24 communicating With the Water receptacle 21, and its cduction orifice 25 communicating with. a pipe 26 carried into the top of the casing and provided With a sprinkler 27. in the bottom of the outside Wall of the dehydrator 19 is an opening 28.

Assuming now the material in the Well or Water receptacle 21 to he brine, it Willhe understood that the pump 23 draws the brine from the receptacle and delivers it through. the pipe 26 to the top of the dehydrator 19,.fro1m which it 'flows down the plates 20 to the Well 21, to he again circulated. The air enters the opening 28 and passes up through the dehydrator 19 to the horizontal pipe 18, thence down the vertical pipe .17 to the casing 1-5, and thence to the 2 1- of the air pump 16. .del'iydrator is to remove certain portion of the moisture of the incoming air. This is done hy absorption; over the hrine, gives up a its Water to the hriue.

made to e induction orifice a the hriue the plates 20 may differ, or otherwise, be in accordance with well known practice.

29 represents a casing connected to the eduction opening of the blower 16 at its hand end, and through passages 30' right to a series ofsectional cells 31, to be discharged'into a casing32, arranged over the cells. The casing .32 connects at its left hand end to a casing 33, .connected at its upper end to the chimney stack 12.

I have described the casing '29 as a single casing connected to a single pump and to a series of cells 31. In Fig. 3 two pumps are shown, 16 and 16, and two series of cells 31 and 31 the two series of cells 31 and 31 being connected to the casing 33'. Iprefer this arrangement as by having two pumps and twoseries of cells, in case of accident to either pump, the other pump can be used, ,or both pumps can be used together, vor both pumps can be used on a number of cells less than the whole number. F.or controlling the air through the cells, I provide valves 34 35, which may be operated from the outside of the cells by handles, as indicated at 36.

In Fig. 7, when the valves are in the osition shown in full lines, the air entermg bythe passages 30, passes upward through the upper portion of the cells and out through the casing 32. When the valves are in the position shown in dotted lines, the air passes through the lower part. of the cells. When the valve 35 is in the position shown in the left of the figure, this cell is cut out.

' cells.

Located within the cells are a series of trays 37 which may be withdrawn from the apparatus through doors 38 in the inclosing casing 39, as shown in Fig. 2. The valves 34--35- are adapted, as before stated, to be moved by hand. If desired, these valves can be moved mechanically by automatic apparatus to give them constant movement, so as to vary at intervals, the direction of the incoming air through the cation, such mechanical device as the same has been described in an application filed simultaneously herewith, Serial No. 854,598 filed August 1st, 1914.

The general operation of my improved apparatus is as follows: Air entering through the opening 28 of the dehydrator, parts with the major portion of its moisture to the brine, flowing down the plates 20. It then passes through the casing 15,

. where it is heated by the heat radiated from the pipes 10; it then enters the induction I have not disclosed in this appliorifice of the blower 16, and is driven through the cells 31, picking up in its passage, moisture from the articles to be dehydrated, to be finally carried out through the casing 32 and chimney stack 12.

In practice I prefer that the temperature of the air passing through the cells shall "not exceed 160 Fahrenheit, as I have found that this temperature is snfiicient to produce osmotic extraction of the fluids contained within the cell walls of the materials acted upon, without in any wise rupturing the cell walls or producing any chemical.

at some subsequent period to'the action of hot water.

A series of' experiments have demonstrated that when the moisture contents of a body isreduced 20% of its normal contents, enzyms will not develop, andthere will be no fermentation; and further, that when the moisture contents is reduced to 5%, there will'be no formation of mold,

and the body will be in a condition to endosmotically absorb water; when subsequently treated with water, and further, that if the entire water contents is extracted, no subsequent endosmotic action will take place.

I wish it'understood that by the word dehydration in this specification, I mean a method of treatment by reason of which all ofthe water normally contained in the body treated will be removed, with the exception of approximately 5%, and which body is capable of endosmotically reabsorbing water when subsequently subjected to the action of water, as distinguished from desiccation, wherein allof the water is removed and the body incapable of endosmotically absorbing water.

In making use of the apparatus described, I prefer in some 'cases, to heat the body which is to be dehydrated, to a temperature iiow in at the bottom a pump, a series of sectional which may be heated above 160 Fahrenheit without the destruction of their physr cal structure, volatilization of any contained bodies, or efi'ecting chemical change.

It will be observed that the aircurrents in the structure disclosed in this application, of the cells, across the cells and out of'the cells. I'prefer this :11"-

rangement for the air currents, rather than an arrangement where the air enters the top of the bottom, for the reason that the air as it absorbs moisture becomes lighter and the movement of the air facilitated. I make no claim broadlyifor an apparatus for absorbing moisture from air through circulating brine, my inventidn'being limited to the employment of water absorbing apparatus in connection with the other elements specified in the claims.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combination of air dehydrating. meansconsisting of a chamber having an opening in the lower end, means. for circulating brine through said chamber, a'casing connected at one end to the upper end of said chamber and at the other end to the dehydrator, means in said chamber for imparting heat to air passing through said chamber, an air cells, means for projecting the heated air from the pump upward and through said cells, a chimney stack, and means for conveying the air from the cells to the chimney stack.

2. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combination of means for dehydrating air, a

horizontally disposed casing communicating at one end with said dehydrating means, an

air pump connected to the other end of said casing, heating apparatus for'the air in said casing, a series of cells, a casing communicating at one end with the delivery end of the pump and communicating along its length with the individual cells, a chimney stack, and a casing arranged over the top of the cells and communicating with each cell and the chimney stack.

3. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combination of means for dehydrating air, a horizontally disposed casing communicating at one end with said dehydrating means, an air pump connected to the other end of said casing, heating apparatus for the air in said casing, said heating apparatus comprising pipes connected at one end to a heater and at the other end to a chimney stack through which the heated products are conveyed from the heater to the chimney stack, a series of cells, a casing communicating at one end with the delivery end of the pump and comcopies of this patent may be obtained for fire cents each, by addressing the I Washington, B. G,

cells, across the cells and out oi the through the cells is air pump Inunicating along its length with the individual cells, a chimney stack, and acasiug arranged over the top of the cells and communicating with each cell and the chimney casing, a series of cells,

of the pump and communicating along its length with the individual cells. j

5. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combination of means for dehydrating air, a

horizontally disposed casing communicating at one end with said dehydrating means, heating apparatus for the air in said casing, a series of cells, asecond casing communicatingat one end with the first casing and throughout its length with the individual cells, and means for causing a current of air to flow through said dehydrating means, casings and cells.

6. In a dehydrating apparatus, the combination of means for dehydrating air, a series of drying cells, a horizontally disp sed casing extending under said cells and municating along its length therewith, all having its delivery end connected to one end of said casing, a second casing disposed under. the first municating at one end with the intake end of the pump, the other end of said casing being in communication with the said air dehydrating means, and heating coils extending substantially throughout the length of the second casing.

7. In a dehydrating apparatus, in com-' bination, a horizontally disposed casing, air heating means therein, a series of air cells, a second casing communicating at one end eating apparatus for the air in said and a casing com;- munlcatmg at one end with the delivery en'l casing and com- Y with one end of said casing and along its length withsaid cells, a vertically dis osed casing adjacent and communicating Wl h the other end of said first casing, means for circulating brine through said last "mentioned casing, and means for causing a current of air to flow first through said vertical casing in intimate contact with the circulating brine and then through the casing containing the heating means and finally through the other casing and the cells. i

In testimony whereof, I affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE HILLARD BEN JAMIN;

Witnesses:

HELEN E. KoELsoH, Lusrnn BEARDSLEY.

Commissioner 0; Patents, 

